On November 5, 1983, a horrific tragedy occurred on the Byford Dolphin oil rig in Norway, known as the Byford Dolphin incident. Five men died in one of the most brutal ways imaginable.
The rig operated with saturation divers who worked at depths of 500 feet or more. Unlike regular divers, these professionals lived in high-pressure chambers and spent up to 28 days on a job. Their work is dangerous, requiring careful decompression to avoid decompression sickness, or “the bends,” caused by rapid nitrogen bubbles in the bloodstream if a diver ascends too quickly.
A failure in the decompression system led to the disaster. William Crammond, an experienced tender, performed a routine procedure, connecting the diving bell to living chambers. Shortly after, tragedy struck, resulting in the deaths of five men.
